Dust of Time
by TDWidow
Summary: As the Battle of Helm’s Deep draws to a close, a warrior reminisces of his past, thinks of his present, and wonders of his future.
1. The Present

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** This is a three-chapter story, all from the point of view of one character. Each chapter takes place right after the Battle of Helm's Deep but this is the only chapter that's actually _about_ Helm's Deep.

This is a movie-verse story.

**DISCLAIMER** I don't own them.

…

Everyone is quiet. It's always quiet after a battle. Men, coping with how their world will change, search for friends lost and family fallen.

The battle was won, but these Men of Rohan have suffered crushing blows. The Rohirrim were mowed down in scores. And Helm's Deep, the great fortress of Rohan, was breached for the first time since its first stone was laid by the ancient Gondorians.

I don't where Aragorn found hope in the battle before, but he did and he was right. I am sorry that I could not see it. When we rode behind Théoden, I thought that it was the end of us all. I saw the Halls of Mandos dancing before me. Never in my life have I fallen so deep into despair. I am sorry, Aragorn.

I watch as two Rohirrim soldiers stop beside the breached wall. They look sad at the state of their beloved fortress. Then hatred flickers across the strained faces – hatred for the foul creatures of Saruman. And finally, the look that settles in is that of pride. These men were outarmed and outnumbered. Their impenetrable fortress was breached. The enemy poured in to their sanctuary. They fought all night – men, old men, and boys.

And they won.

I sit by the breach in the wall, a small drainage pool at my feet. My reflection stares up at me. Dirty, bloody, but alive. The peaceful simplicity of my home feels far away. Left in its place is this wartorn realm. War is all around me and I feel suffocated.

Sometimes I wonder why I so often bother myself with these matters that do not affect me. But what other choice do I have? What happens here affects all of Middle Earth, not just Isengard and Rohan. Everything is intertwined.

The Elves of Lothlórien are proof enough of that. Lórien is fading, yet still they came to the aid of a people who will far outlast them. The world is being passed on to Men. The Elves are making sure that the Men are capable. I believe they are.

Suddenly, the men are quiet. I look up at the Keep and Gandalf is there. His white robes gleam in the morning sun as he stands at the gate and gazes down sadly at the men searching for friends. He looks at me and nods sadly, then turns and disappears once more inside.

I am glad that he was not here for the duration of the battle. The men look at me and they see bravery. But I look at my reflection and I see weakness. I couldn't bear the thought of Mithrandir looking at me and seeing weakness.

All my life, I've been trained and molded into the perfect warrior. I fought for the safety of my home and for my ruler. I've battled creatures and men and others. Sometimes, I can't remember why we fought that battle. But now all I feel is guilt.

The gaping hole in Helm's Deep glares widely at me. I turn away in disgust. I can't bear to look at it. It never would have happened if I had not failed. My aim had always been true, but not here where it mattered most. The Rohirrim were nearly defeated because of me.

Another throng of soldiers passes me by. I watch curiously as one man carries a little girl on his shoulders. She sees me and grins. She waves happily before putting her thumb in her mouth. I smile back at her as her father carries her off.

So the Rohirrim will survive to live happily past Helm's Deep. Perhaps my weakness will be forgiven.

There is more violence coming. I am sorry for failing the Rohirrim. Please forgive me. The danger coming is far worse. Please give me strength and a true aim to protect this world I love.


	2. The Future

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** This chapter is shorter – it's our narrator speculating on what might be coming after Helm's Deep.

**DISCLAIMER** I don't own these characters.

…

Far worse things are coming. I can feel it in the earth itself. The stars above Rohan speak it to me. At night, they whisper evil tidings and warn me of things to come. The others cannot hear them and I cannot bring myself to tell them.

Helm's Deep was but a sliver of what we are about to face. Saruman was powerful, yes, but his might pales in the face of the Dark Lord himself. That is whom we shall face. I can feel him everywhere. The darkness clouds everything.

I know that no one else can see it. No one else had the ability to see that all of Middle Earth lies under shadow. I know this. It is my burden.

The Rohirrim are picking up the pieces. There is still sorrow in the air, but slowly the men are beginning to understand that against all odds, they won. They destroyed the vastest army seen since the days of the Last Alliance at Dagorlad. Rohan has achieved an important victory here. They have proven that they are not a people reliant on Gondor for protection. Rohan can take care of herself.

But Rohan is not in danger anymore. Saruman grew greedy and paid the price of defeat. Saruman is no longer a threat. Sauron is. And Sauron's eye does not see as far as Rohan. He will wage his war much closer. Gondor will fall under his wrath.

Gondor has been strong for thousands of years. Anarion, son of Elendil, led Gondor past the dark days of the Second Age and into the new Third Age. His descendents disappeared and still the realm was kept strong. The Ruling Stewards have long reigned peacefully, but I fear that that is all about to fall. Sauron's evil will cover Gondor and the Steward cannot stop it. With all of my being, I fear the fall of Gondor.

If Sauron takes Gondor, there will be none left to withstand him. Rohan is drained and Sauron will decimate them. Lord Elrond of Rivendell cannot repel an army and Lord Celeborn of Lórien has already lost many warriors at Helm's Deep. The Elves of Mirkwood have their own evils to battle. The Dwarves will tunnel deeper and flee. And past the Misty Mountains, the hobbits of the Shire cannot withstand an evil as great as Sauron. If Sauron takes Gondor, all of Middle Earth will fall.

There is one last hope. Aragorn must take back the throne of Gondor. With a King to lead them, the Gondorians might find enough strength to repel Mordor's darkness. But I do not think Aragorn will do so.

It may sound as though I am despairing. Maybe I am. Maybe I don't believe we can win this war. Perhaps I have given up hope. I try to hold on to the optimism of the army, the faith of the men, but slowly I feel it slipping away from me.

No one knows how little battle experience I actually have. The Rohirrim look at me and I see awe in their eyes. But they do not know. They cannot see the fear that I have hidden so deeply in my heart. All they see is a warrior. Even warriors are afraid.

I sit on the battlefield of Rohan, fearing the future. Yet I find my thoughts drifting back to my first real battle – the first time I proved myself as a warrior. If only I knew then what a spectacular event of history it was. Helm's Deep melts away as I remember.


	3. The Past

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** I have this theory that Legolas would have been at the Battle of Five Armies in _The Hobbit_, since his father was leading the Elven army.

**DISCLAIMER** Don't own anyone.

It was 60 years ago, only a drop of time in my long life. We marched not for good or for rescue, or to protect an innocent people. No, it was for none of these causes that Elves would think to fight for. We marched for riches.

My father felt that we had been insulted by the roving Dwarves that we'd captured. Maybe we had. Or maybe his mind was clouded by the ancient hatred between Elves and Dwarves plus the allure of the dragon gold. When the Men of Laketown called upon him to join them in battle, he quickly agreed. I love and respect my father deeply, but his lust for gold will someday undo him.

The King said to march, so march we did toward the Lonely Mountain. I was proud to finally be included with my father's elite archers. I yearned to prove myself to him. I was his only child and heir, but felt that in order for him to fully love me, I had to show him that I was worthy of my title.

We marched with the Men of Laketown. My father, along with his lust for gold, harbored resentment of Men as well. He never understood why Lord Elrond allowed young Aragorn to live in Rivendell. He understood even less my friendship with Aragorn. I know that he disapproved of it. Perhaps that was why I so longed to show him that I was worthy.

I hear laughing and for a moment look up. At first I think the children running by are Merry and Pippin, but then I remember that my dear hobbit friends are not here with us. I have found, in our journey from Rivendell to Parth Galen, that the childlike innocence of hobbits reminds me very much of the peaceful beauty of my home.

It was at that battle 60 years ago that I first saw a hobbit. Bilbo Baggins, finder of the One Ring that we now seek to destroy, sought to end our fighting peacefully. If only we'd known what the source of his trickery was. Would we have destroyed the Ring then if we'd known? I don't know. I know now that it must be destroyed and it has no pull on my heart, but I know that I could not do it myself. It was never meant to be my burden.

The battle changed quickly. First the Men and Elves marched on the Mountain and the Dwarves inside. But before we knew they'd come, goblins and wargs attacked our flank. The chaos was thick. I followed the other archers and fired. Cries of "leithio i phillin!" rose all over the battlefield.

They call it the Battle of Five Armies, but it reality there were more than that. It began with Men, Elves, and Dwarves. Before long, the goblins and wargs attacked. Late into the battle, Gandalf appeared, as did Beorn, the being who lives between Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains. And finally the Eagles came to win the battle for us.

I had never seen battle before and it was fierce. Gandalf was wounded. I saw Elves fall dead around me. I know what we originally fought for was wrong, but in the end our cause was just. We won over the foul creatures.

I fought for my father. I fought for glory. I fought for Rohan and for good. Why do I do it?

I am a survivor of the Wars. I am a protector of the Fellowship. I am the Crown Prince of Mirkwood.

I am Legolas Greenleaf. I will always fight.


End file.
